Pentagon Speaks on 'Don't Ask'

By

Julian E. Barnes

Updated Nov. 30, 2010 12:01 a.m. ET

Defense Secretary Robert Gates called on Congress to quickly repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military, citing a Pentagon study that concluded changing the current policy would create only isolated disruptions.

Overall, 30% of the 115,052 military service members surveyed said they thought having gays serve openly would hurt unit cohesion. Another 32% saw a mixed effect, 20% expected no impact, and 19% saw a positive impact.

Mr. Gates said the results indicated that 70% of service members saw a positive or neutral impact from changing the law, dubbed "Don't Ask Don't Tell."

"The findings suggest that for large segments of the military the repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell,' though potentially disruptive in the short term, would not be the wrenching, traumatic change that many have feared and predicted," Mr. Gates said.

Mr. Gates called on the Senate to pass a repeal of the ban this year, saying he feared that if Congress didn't act, the courts would order a hasty change that would give the military less time to prepare, hurting morale. A federal judge has ruled the policy is unconstitutional, although that ruling has been put on hold.

Defense officials emphasized Tuesday that the report found there would be low risk to military readiness only if the Pentagon was allowed to put in place extra training and education before a policy change was put into effect.

The House has already voted to repeal the law, stipulating that gays wouldn't be allowed to serve openly until the president, the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certified that the change wouldn't harm military readiness. Officials wouldn't say how long such an implementation phase would last.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen released the result of a military study, saying the time is now for Congress to overturn the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on homosexual servicemen.

President Barack Obama said the report bolstered his confidence in pushing for a repeal of the ban. "Today's report confirms that a strong majority of our military men and women and their families—more than two-thirds—are prepared to serve alongside Americans who are openly gay and lesbian," he said in a statement.

Mr. Gates signaled, however, that many service-branch chiefs remained concerned about some of the report's findings, particularly the discomfort evident in combat units with changing the policy. According to the report, 48% of Army soldiers in combat units, and 58% of Marines in combat units, said that allowing openly gay members would hurt unit cohesion.

Fears that including homosexuals in infantry units would hurt cohesion are what turned military leaders and members of Congress against President Bill Clinton's 1993 effort to allow gays to serve in the military. Instead, Congress passed the current law, under which service members can be discharged if their homosexuality is disclosed.

The service-branch chiefs have repeatedly expressed concerns about allowing gays to serve openly. They met Monday with Mr. Obama and are scheduled to testify before a Senate panel on Friday, when they are again expected to raise concerns about changing the law.

As the Senate this week renews debate about whether to repeal the law, the report will likely be cited by both opponents and supporters.

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Sen. Carl Levin (D., Mich.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a supporter of repealing the law, cited the report's finding that 92% of service members who believed they had served with gays felt that it had not harmed their unit's ability to work together.

"It is clear that we can end 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in a way that maintains our military strength," Mr. Levin said.

But Rep. Howard McKeon (R., Calif.), the senior Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, said it would be irresponsible to repeal the ban in the current, lame-duck session of Congress.

"Congress must now exert its own due diligence so we understand the ramifications of overturning the law," he said.

ENLARGE

Despite such reservations, Mr. Gates signaled that he intended to use the report to campaign aggressively for a change in the law. He and other officials said that given time to implement the change, the military could easily adapt.

"Longer term…we are convinced that the U.S. military can adjust and accommodate this change, just as it has others in its history," the report said.

The report recommended against creating separate barracks or bathroom facilities for homosexual service members, even though a large number of service members expressed reservations about sharing bathrooms with gays and lesbians. Such a practice would evoke the "separate but equal" policies that once kept blacks in a second-class status, the report's authors said.

The report recommended prohibiting berthing assignments based on sexual orientation. And building separate bathrooms, in U.S. bases or in war zones, would be a "logistical nightmare," the report said.

Although some military personnel worried about gays flaunting their orientation, the report predicted that in an effort to fit into military culture, most gay and lesbian service members would be discreet.

"This discretion would occur for reasons having nothing to do with the law but everything to do with a desire to fit in and coexist and succeed in a military environment," the report said.

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